Aberdeen teen has Olympic moment at trials

An Aberdeen teenager shared the pool with some of the world's best swimmers on Monday.

Aberdeen Swim Club member Hannah Kastigar competed at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Neb.

"I was excited to swim and just go fast and do my best," Kastigar said in a phone interview with the American News.

Kastigar, 16, won her heat in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of four minutes and :56.13 seconds.

"That was my second fastest time ever," Kastigar said. "I kind of wanted to drop some more time from the time I currently had, but it is a good time for the middle of the season."

There were 13 heats with the top eight advancing to the finals later in the day. Each of the top two swimmers in every event will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Monday was the first day of the trials and will continue through July 2. The trials experience will definitely give Kastigar a big boost of confidence, as well.

"It makes me want to work for more big meets and a lot more challenging things," she said.

Elizabeth Beisel, 20, and Caitlin Leverenz, 21, finished first and second respectively in the event. Beisel had a time of 4:31.74, while Leverenz clocked in at 4:34.48. Kastigar is the first member of the Aberdeen Swim Club to have ever qualified for the Olympic Trials. Kastigar was 61st out of 125 swimmers in the 400-meter individual medley.

"It was really fun," Kastigar said about the trials. "It was a great experience and it gets me excited for more big meets just like it."

"It is pretty cool to know that you are in the same pool as all the fastest swimmers in the world," she said.

Kastigar, also an outstanding cross country and track and field runner, had several supporters that made the trip with her. She had everybody from parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles who made the trip. There were also members of the Aberdeen Swim Club and other swimmers from other clubs in South Dakota there, too.

"There were a lot of people behind me supporting," Kastigar said. "That is really nice to have all the people there, too."

And now that she experienced the trials, she plans on attending them again in four years with a chance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at stake.